In telecommunications networks, data networks and combinations thereof, it is sometimes desirable to implement topology hiding to prevent the sharing of network topology information between networks unless a trust relationship exists between the networks. For example, it might be desirable for an access network service provider to implement topology hiding to prevent a core network service provider from discovering the topology of the access network service provider's network and vice versa. Topology hiding may be implemented for reasons related to competition between service providers, network security, or both. Topology hiding may be implemented for network security purposes to prevent potential attackers from learning network topology information that could be used to generate attacks. However, if a trust relationship exists between sending and receiving entities, topology hiding may not be needed. Thus, it is desirable to selectively implement topology hiding in situations where trust does not exist between sending and receiving entities.
While topology hiding has been implemented or at least described for some types of networks, it is not believed that an efficient mechanism exists for topology hiding for RADIUS networks. The RADIUS protocol and its extensions are defined in various IETF Requests for Comment (RFCs), including IETF RFC 2865 (the base RADIUS protocol) and IETF RFC 5176 (dynamic RADIUS authorization). Neither IETF RFC 2865 nor 5176 specifies a mechanism for RADIUS topology hiding or when or how to trigger such a mechanism.
Accordingly, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer readable media for RADIUS topology hiding.